Priorities in order
by nighttimerunner
Summary: "All he can do is gape at her. Words are usually his forte, but suddenly he can't find any. She's fulfilled several of his fantasies over the years they've been together, but this-" A 7x17 post-ep fic written for Castle Fanfic Monday.


**A/N:** This is my version of how 7x17 - Hong Kong Hustle could have gone, taking place a couple of hours after the episode ended. (I'm a bit late to the post-ep fic party, I know. ;))

A fair warning: I'm flying solo on this one, so there will be mistakes. I am sorry.

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own them.

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The lone figure creeps closer to the sleeping detective, the muffled sounds of the city that never sleeps drowning his soft footfalls. He keeps his gaze steady on her face, ready to flee at the slightest indication that she might be waking up. But she must be worn out, her cop instincts dulled, because her eyes remain closed.

Pausing by her head, he takes a moment to appreciate the rare opportunity of seeing her in this relaxed state. His eyes trail down to her chest where her left arm rests on top of the comforter, gently rising and falling in time with her steady breaths. His fingers itch to trace the simple band on her fourth finger and he fists his hands at his sides to stop himself from reaching out. She might be too tired to sense his presence, but touching her is too much of a risk.

Reluctantly he tears his attention away from her and returns to the mission that has him by her bedside in the middle of the night.

Her laptop sits on her nightstand, just visible in the dim glow of the streetlight filtering through the blinds. He lifts it carefully to avoid disturbing any of the other items on the small table and tiptoes a few steps away from the bed.

With every minute he spends in the room, the risk of her waking up gets higher. But the desire to remain close to her is too great, so he takes the chance. He lowers himself on the plush carpet gingerly, facing her so the glare from the screen won't hit her eyes directly.

The fact that it allows him to continue watching her is an added bonus.

Focusing on the task at hand once more, he sets the computer in his lap and opens the lid. There's a clear ping as the device comes to life and he curses under his breath when the sheets rustle as Beckett stirs awake. _Well, the "Quiet As a Ninja" online course was a waste of money._

"Cassle?" she mumbles, still half-asleep.

"Everything's okay, Kate. Go back to sleep," he murmurs soothingly, hoping she won't realize his voice is coming from the wrong direction. He closes the laptop to plunge the room into relative darkness again and sits completely still.

But it's too late. She reaches out to turn on the reading light and squints at him. _And there goes the credibility of the "Jedi Mind Tricks" course._

"What are you doing over there?" she asks with a frown.

"Playing Fruit Ninja?" he says and cringes at how unconvincing it sounds. He'd been so sure of his ninja skills that the thought of coming up with an excuse hadn't even crossed his mind.

She considers him silently for a few seconds before the confusion clears from her eyes.

"You're reading my list of priorities, aren't you?" she accuses and there's something triumphant in her expression when he nods grudgingly in affirmation. He'll have to ask her to teach him the mind reading trick. She seems to be a pro.

"You know I would've shown it to you if you'd only asked," she continues more gently after letting him pout for a moment.

She sits up and scoots back to lean against the headboard, extending her hand towards the laptop. She rolls her eyes when he scrambles into bed over her legs instead of walking around to his side, but there's no real animosity in the gesture.

"I know you would have," he says once he's settled beside her, flush against her side. "But you were already sleeping when I started to think about it and you know how I get when I'm curious. I just couldn't let it go."

"Oh, I _know_ how you get. It's very, _very_ satisfying," she replies with a grin and sets the computer in his lap, effectively cutting off his response as he concentrates on the words on the screen.

The list as such isn't very surprising, the items what he'd expected.

What does surprise him, is the order.

He lifts his eyes to find her already waiting, her lower lip firmly held captive between her teeth.

"Kate-" He pauses, her expression confusing him, distracting him from his question. Why would she be nervous?

"But you said you were falling behind. I thought that- I mean, what about becoming a captain?" he fumbles, sounding accusing even when he doesn't mean to.

"Changed my mind," she shrugs as if it's nothing and averts her eyes, focused on picking imaginary lint off of the comforter.

It's not nothing. She doesn't just change her mind on a whim. He doesn't even care about the list. He'll always support her, whatever she decides. But it's obviously weighing on her and he can't stand seeing her like this.

He wants to help.

"Kate, talk to me. What happened? Did Zhang say something?" he prods gently, cradling her cheek in his palm to get her to look at him.

"No, this has nothing to do with her," Kate assures and he's relieved that she's at least done comparing herself to the Inspector. In his humble opinion, he's married to the ultimate super cop.

"I realized a couple of nights ago that I'm two weeks late," she begins her explanation and continues before his brain has a chance to catch up. "So I bought a pregnancy test. Three actually," she says and he must be dreaming, because it sounded like she-

"Are you telling me that the reason why becoming a captain isn't your number one priority is that you're-" He can't finish, doesn't want to say the word in case he's somehow completely misunderstood.

"Yeah. I took the tests earlier today. They were all positive." She nods and there's a tentative smile curling at the corners of her mouth.

All he can do is gape at her. Words are usually his forte, but suddenly he can't find any. She's fulfilled _several_ of his fantasies over the years they've been together, but this-

"I know it's unplanned. Believe me, I'm just as surprised. And we haven't really talked about kids, or rather we haven't talked about the right time-"

Her rambling is cut off abruptly when his lips press against hers, his tongue invading her sweet mouth in a kiss that hopefully erases any doubts she might have.

"Kate," he says, panting a little, after they've separated. "We may have not planned this, but… But now is perfect." He splays his broad hand on her abdomen, over the life they've created together.

His grin threatens to split his face in two but he's not even trying to suppress it. He has no intention of hiding his elation. Because Kate Beckett is pregnant.

They're going to have a baby.

 **End.**


End file.
